For Sale: Custom SSR that Must be Seen to be Believed

The Chevy Super Sports Roadster (or simply the SSR) was a hardtop convertible sorta-pickup truck that led a brief, unhappy life spanning the 2003 to 2006 model years, selling a grand total of just over 24,000 units. The slow sales could be attributed to a number of factors; the truck debuted with a 5.3 liter Vortec rated at 300 horsepower backed by a 4-speed automatic as the only powertrain choice (though 2005 and 2006 models got a 390 horse LS2 and an available Tremec 6-speed), it had a steep $42k sticker price, and the SSR’s retro styling wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

Then there’s what we have here, which is that proverbial cup of tea laced with LSD. Offered for sale by North Freeway Hyundai of Houston, Texas (who, weirdly enough, appear to specialize in SSR’s and claim to have sold over 350 of them) for the low, low price of $34,995, this SSR has seen some pretty extensive cosmetic work. Under the skin, it’s untouched, with the stock LS2 and manual transmission, and it came fairly up-optioned from the factory.

What is going on with that Bart Simpson haircut on the spoiler?

But of course the elephant in the room is that styling. North Freeway Hyundai calls it, “the dinoSSauR,” but we see it as more like Alien meets Bart Simpson. The workmanship appears to be pretty good from what we can tell from the photos, which poses some interesting questions.

This custom truck was obviously the product of someone’s clear vision of what they wanted, so why is it for sale? Did the person who commissioned it fall on hard times, and had to part with it for financial reasons? Did they get the project finished, realize there were no more automotive Everests to climb, and move on to some other completely different quest for excellence? Or did the drugs simply wear off?

We have no answers, only questions. And frankly, some questions should remain unanswered.